2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Cents

The Presidential One Dollar Coin Act of 2005 required that the reverse of the Lincoln Cent be redesigned for 2009 in honor of the Bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth. The coins were designed to be emblematic of four different stages of the 16th President's historic life: his birth and early childhood in Kentucky, his formative years in Indiana, his professional life in Illinois, and finally, his Presidency in Washington D.C. The design chosen for Lincoln's Birth was created by Richard Masters, and features the log cabin he was born and raised in. The second design, emblematic of Lincoln's Formative Years, features Lincoln reading while taking a break from rail-splitting and was the work of Charles Vickers. The third design, showing Lincoln's Professional Years, was crafted by Joel Iskowitz, and shows Lincoln standing in front of the Illinois State Capitol as a young lawyer. The final design was produced by Susan Gamble. It shows the half completed dome of the U.S. Capitol Building, an approximation of what the construction would have looked like during Lincoln's Presidency.

Lincoln Bicentennial Cents were issued by the Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco Mints. All of the Lincoln Pennies are 19 mm in diameter, weigh 2.5 g, and are composed of .975 (97.5%) zinc and .025 (2.5%) copper.